Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 2, Episode 12 - Wildlife Photographer Ryan Is Building His Own Tiny House in Fairplay, CO - full transcript

Across the nation,
people are going small--

really small...

These are so cute!

...buying tiny houses,

some just a microscopic
100 square feet.

Whoa.

This is a tiny house.

It looks really small.

This tiny trend
is picking up big steam,

with everything from
converted train cars and barns

to yurts
and microhouses on wheels.



I'd be a gypsy
on the run.

Well, it's different,
that's for sure.

Ryan is a traveling photographer

looking to build a tiny house
in Fairplay, Colorado.

- Oh, wow, yeah.
- This is pretty cool.

- Oh!
- Hey, you fit!

You know, a bottle of wine,
maybe some Kenny G.

You're gonna have
to brush your teeth

out here in the kitchen.

But with his sister
as his real estate agent,

finding a picture-perfect home
could be a challenge.

I'm concerned about if
you're really understanding

what you're gonna be losing
by having a tiny house.

I mean,
if I have more space,



that's just more stuff
I'm gonna fill it with.

My name is Ryan, and I currently
live in Fairplay, Colorado.

I'm a traveling photographer,
and I just love the outdoors.

Being up in the mountains,
doing some hiking,

having my camera with me,
take some pictures--

it's awesome.

Making a living
as a wildlife photographer

is very, very difficult.

All my trips I do
are out of pocket.

When I take, you know,
a month off to go to Africa,

two months off to go to Spain,
I don't want

an empty house to sit there

where I need to make
the payments on it.

He's been living
with his parents to save money,

but he's decided that
the perfect home for him

is a tiny bachelor pad.

I've decided I want to build
my own tiny house

since I've done a fair amount
of construction and framing.

I can do it with
cash out of pocket

and take the month off
when I need to

and focus on my photography.

I've never built an entire home
before, but I like a challenge.

I'm a little bit nervous.
I mean, it's a big project

to tackle by myself,
but hopefully, it's not too big.

I mean, it is a tiny home.

What are you gonna do
with all your equipment?

You just gonna put it all

in your cabinets
so you don't have any space?

My parents think I'm crazy,
building something

that's only 120 square feet,
or around there.

He's always doing
something different.

Now, you're sure that
you don't want to start

with an empty shell and just
finish it the way you want?

Absolutely. That's what
I want to show you here.

Ryan, my best friend,

he's got a strong
contracting background,

and I would like him

to make sure that I'm not
getting in over my head.

If anybody can do it, I'm pretty
confident he can pull it off.

And, ultimately,
I believe the design

will fit his needs a lot better.

I like what they did with
the roof on that one.

RYAN ♪1:
I've always been attracted
to Victorian-style homes

that had the high ceilings
and the decorative trim.

- That one's missing a loft.
- This one doesn't have a loft.

- You like it without the loft?
- I do.

I really don't want to climb
that tiny, little ladder.

I want main floor living
so I can get dressed

standing up instead of
hunched over in a tiny loft.

I definitely
don't want stairs.

What I don't like
about the tiny home

is probably
the lack of garage.

No place to store my kayak,

no place to keep
my mountain bike dry.

I want to keep a lot
of my outdoor gear,

so creative storage is a must.

My budget on a house is $25,000.

Plans for these tiny houses
aren't that expensive.

Here's a couple floor plans
- that I got.
- Sure.

Ryan wants to tour
several tiny model homes

whose plans are for sale.

RYAN ♪1: By building
the tiny home myself,

I can probably save
a lot of labor costs.

As soon as I
figure out how to

structurally keep it
on the trailer,

I think I'll be fine.

That's awesome!

RYAN ♪1: I want to have
a house on wheels

because I don't want to be tied
down to a certain location.

I really don't know where I want
to eventually park it,

but my parents have
a little bit of land.

It's a perfect place
where I can just nestle in

my tiny home in the corner
and make a living.

I don't need too big
of a spot to park it.

I mean, 30 of my tiny homes
can fit into your home here.

Fortunately for Ryan,
his older sister, Jody,

is a real estate agent.

As his big sister,
I do want to make sure

that he doesn't get in
over his head.

And not only has he never built
a whole house from scratch,

he's never had any experience
with a tiny home.

You'd really have to downsize
everything in your life

to make that huge change.

Jody is
starting Ryan off

with a 192-square-foot Victorian
tiny house just outside of town.

Whoa!

- Wow!
- Wow!

RYAN ♪1: Look at that
waterfall, huh?

This looks good.

RYAN ♪2: Wow.
It's smaller than I thought.

I know he said he wanted
something really small,

but I wanted him to see
the options out there

and what that little
extra space will get him.

That's just too big.

I mean, it's four feet
longer than I want,

and, I mean,
if I have more space,

that's just more stuff
I'm gonna fill it with.

This one's $66,000, but they
sell the plans for $450.

Could be a viable option.

If Ryan builds
the place himself,

plans and materials would come
in over budget at $30,000.

You like the two windows
- at the top?
- RYAN ♪1: Yeah.

It gives you
a little bit more

of the Victorian feel
you were hoping for.

RYAN ♪1: Yeah, the steep roof,
I like that.

It makes it look really tall.

Check this out in the back.
- It's a great storage cabinet.
- Oh, wow.

RYAN ♪2:
That's pretty cool.

RYAN ♪1: I could probably even
fit my mountain bike in here.

- Oh, wow.
- Oh, wow!

Holy cow.

RYAN ♪2: This is pretty cool.
- It's really big.
- Yes.

- For what is on the outside.
- I could totally live in this.

Yeah, you know,
they've actually had 24 people

in here at one time.

RYAN ♪2:
This vaulted ceiling really
makes it feel big in here.

- Plenty of storage up here.
- RYAN ♪2: Right.

And there's even more storage
under those benches down there.

RYAN ♪1: I don't know if
I need all of this.

Why don't we just shift
the whole couch

over here,
move that table.

RYAN ♪2: TV right over here.

Yep, that would be great
for the TV over there.

RYAN ♪2:
That would be pretty cool.

RYAN ♪1: There might even be
enough room for my office,

if I do a permanent
built-in right there.

I don't want to have
to collapse my computer

every time I want
to eat dinner.

I want my laptop set up,
my hard drives.

You know
what's really weird?

You keep saying all these
things that you want,

but you're already saying
the space is too big.

There's got to be
a way to maybe

puzzle-box this thing
to fit what I want.

RYAN ♪2: Make it work.

Check out the big kitchen.

Yes, this is a nine-foot
butcher block counter.

RYAN ♪1: I don't need nine feet.

RYAN ♪2:
- You don't want it that big?
- Well, I don't do much cooking.

RYAN ♪1:
This is way overkill for me.

I just think that my sister,

she's looking for something
that she could see herself in

rather than me.

I don't think she understands

where I exactly
want to end up at.

I do like the tile though.
That's a nice feature.

Kind of makes it feel
like a real home.

- RYAN ♪1: That is, yeah.
- RYAN ♪2: Less like a trailer.

RYAN ♪1: I like all
the creative storage.

I mean, there's actually
a lot of room in the stairs.

So, look at this really
cool closet space you have here.

RYAN ♪1: That's a big closet.

If there was
a couple or family

living in the house, I could see
the whole need for the closet.

But for me, I've already
downsized my wardrobe enough

that that's just way too much
closet for me.

And this must be
the pantry, then.

Oh, yeah, that's a huge pantry.

I've never stored
that much food in my life.

As his big sister,
I do want to make sure

that he doesn't get in over
his head and that he doesn't

blow his money on something
that's not gonna turn out.

- Wow!
- Whoa!

Dude, a tub!

That's the tub?

I've never seen a tiny house
with a tub.

Oh! Oh!

Hey, you fit!

You know, a bottle of wine,

maybe some Kenny G,
and just...

A couple candles and a book?

Oh, yeah! With a couple beers,
you can relax anywhere.

It feels good, shower head
height is nice and good?

Yeah, the height is doable.

Is there a sink in here?

- I don't see a sink.
- No.

To me, it was poor planning.

I think one would use the sink

way more than the tub,
especially in a tiny house.

So let's go check out that loft
that you said you don't want.

RYAN ♪1: Yeah, show it to me.

It's bigger than I thought.

I mean, there's-- there's a lot
of room in here.

Yeah, that is
a queen-size bed,

and I believe you can actually
fit a king size up here.

Can you imagine the views

you could have
with all these windows?

RYAN ♪1: I do like the windows,

but I want to put a pair
a pants on up here

before I go down.

This is how you
put your pants on--

you just sit over here
and hang your legs over.

Yeah.

I got to do that every morning,
just hang my legs over?

I don't want to have
to just put my pants--

Put my pants on like
a normal person

who puts their pants on.

The layout is good.

I mean, I like the high
ceilings, the architecture.

What about the bathroom?

RYAN ♪1:
It doesn't have a vanity.

I mean, you'd think a 24-foot
would have a sink.

But that's got me
a little concerned.

Yeah.
It's got a lot of storage.

RYAN ♪2:
It's got a nice living space,
dedicated living space.

Yeah, I like the layout.
Pretty decent-sized kitchen.

RYAN ♪2: I know you don't
like the loft,

but there is a lot of
square footage up there.

This is a lot
of square footage.

RYAN ♪1: Keep in mind,
I'm trying to downsize,

and I really like
the style of this house.

But, honestly, I feel like
it's just too big for me.

I mean, if you can show me
something a little bit smaller,

you know, without the loft,
I'd be happy.

So Jody's showing Ryan
a smaller space.

Well, it's different,
that's for sure.

It's a rusty metal box--
seriously.

How long do you think
it's really

gonna take you to build
this tiny house?

I'm hoping it goes pretty quick
and I go three to four months.

Traveling photographer
Ryan is looking to use

his construction background

to build a mobile
tiny house he can park

at his parents' place
in Fairplay, Colorado,

without demolishing
his $25,000 budget.

With his contractor friend Ryan
along for the ride

and his sister Jody
as his real estate agent,

they're looking at tiny model
homes where Ryan could buy

the house plans and build
the place himself.

So far, he's seen
a 192-square-foot space

that could max out his budget
at a cost of $30,000.

While he likes some of

the Victorian details
and storage,

the lofted bedroom is cramped.

So today, Jody is showing him
a simple one-level house.

RYAN ♪1: Well, it's different.

That's for sure.

This one is $63,000
as it sits.

Okay.

They do offer plans
for $750.

That's not too bad.

With plans
and materials,

Ryan is looking at a build cost
of $22,000.

RYAN ♪1: This one looks to have
some metal siding on it.

It's a rusty metal box--
seriously.

I mean, it just looks like
a steel container that's square.

Because this one is a box,
it's a simple build,

but I do want a home,
I want it to look like a home.

You have the option
to add siding

or do wood on the outside.

Hey, I'm better working
with wood anyways.

It's 172 square feet.

Oh, wow, huh.

- This is cute.
- RYAN ♪2: It's boxy, kind of.

It is, it kind of matches
the outside a little bit.

I like the drywall.

Yeah. It really makes it feel
like a home, right?

- RYAN ♪1: It does.
- And there's no loft.

Yes, there is no loft.

But the bed does take up a about
a third of this thing.

RYAN ♪2: At least.

What happens if you did
a flip-down bed?

That would free up a lot
of extra space for living

and make it not feel
like the bedroom

takes up
the whole trailer.

I see that happening.

I mean, the bed would be closed
up in living room mode.

RYAN ♪2: Mm-hmm.

Could go with the bigger
couch in front of it.

Why are you looking at plans
if you're just gonna

move everything
and change everything?

RYAN ♪1: Honestly, I mean,
if I'm gonna build this thing,

I want to build it right.

I may be older,

but he still has never
listened to me.

That's gonna be a lot of work,

to put his bed up
and down every day.

I don't know, this storage
over here just feels wasted.

You can still use it,
you just put stuff there

that you don't need
to get to every day.

But, I mean, the whole idea
about tiny houses

is simplifying, so how many
non-day-to-day items

am I actually gonna have?

There is storage
under there.

Ohh!
Tight storage.

I think if this table
wasn't here,

I think the whole thing
would pull out.

How deep is that?

We're four feet deep.

RYAN ♪2: You move out
of the tiny house,

and then you open the drawers
and you get to your stuff,

and then you move back in.

Exactly. I mean, this side,
you have to move that chair,

that side, you have
to move this table.

Shouldn't have to be
moving everything

just to get to one item.

RYAN ♪2: I kind of like
how they painted

the kitchen
a different color.

It makes it feel like it's
a separate part of the house.

No, this is good.

It looks like a decent
sink and faucet.

I mean, it actually feels comfortable.

I like all the storage, but I
don't have a lot of dishes.

And, honestly, I wouldn't use
all this for the kitchen.

So I don't know where the closet
is, unless this is it.

No.
That's the bathroom.

RYAN ♪2: It's smaller than
I would expect.

- How wide is this?
- Oh, yeah, it's only--

This isn't a house,
but when they do houses...

Yeah, barely 25 inches wide.

...they have to be
30 inches wide.

That's four square feet

that you're gonna
shower in every day.

Can you really do
a bathroom this size?

I suppose. I mean, hey,
I shampoo, I hit my elbows.

And it's just a...

Yeah, it's too small
to even move in.

One thing about
the tiny houses

is you are gonna
have to sacrifice,

and maybe a shower size is gonna
be one of those sacrifices.

RYAN ♪1: Sometimes I don't think
she's even listening to me.

You know, I'm 5'11",
and I need shampoo headroom.

It's just not hitting
the spot for me.

There's not even a sink in here.

Yeah, you're gonna have
to brush your teeth

out here in the kitchen.

It should have
- a sink in here.
- Yeah.

Even if we got
to push the bathroom

a little bit
further that way,

we can put a wall sink
right here.

It's just a simple design,

so the build price
is maybe doable.

And the fact that it's
just a square, really,

means that you
can customize it

and do whatever
you need to do with it.

I mean, if I'm not
gonna do a loft,

that folding bed
might be the key to make

something on
the main floor work.

I don't know.
I like the house,

but I'd like to see something
that doesn't look like

a shipping container,
that maybe looks more homey.

So Jody's found Ryan

something that might be
a better fit.

RYAN ♪2: Does it feel
a little like a coffin?

Yeah, this is pretty narrow.

What do you think about uncle
in a tiny house?

It's gonna be really small

and you can't fit
all your stuff.

Oh, that's the idea.

Ryan,
a wildlife photographer,

is looking to make use
of his construction skills

by building a tiny house.

He wants to park it on
his parents' property

in Fairplay, Colorado.

His sister, Jody,
is showing him tiny houses

that he can buy plans for
and build to suit his needs.

With $25,000 to spend
on plans and materials,

and his contractor friend,
Ryan, there for advice,

they've seen
a 192-square-foot home

he thinks he could build
for $30,000.

While it has plenty of storage
for his gear,

he thinks the loft
is wasted space.

Next was a simple
172-square-foot modern place

he could build for $22,000.

Ryan loves
the first floor living,

but wishes the boxy interior
felt more like home.

Today, he's seeing a Victorian
style tiny home

that's closer to the kind
of place that he wants.

Well, this one's
really cool.

RYAN ♪1:
It looks a lot like more of what
I need, to be honest with you.

- RYAN ♪2: Yeah, yeah.
- Yeah, it's definitely got
more of the Victorian look.

I see that.
I like the pitch in the roof.

- I like the little gable.
- RYAN ♪2: You like the porch?

RYAN ♪1: The porch spindle--
I mean, yeah, this is

more of what I had
in mind when I kind of

thought about my tiny home.

The sticker on this one
is approximately $66,000.

It's about
172 square feet inside.

Am I able to plans
for this model?

- For $750.
- Perfect.

With Ryan's
construction expertise,

he's looking at a build cost
of approximately $30,000.

- Oh, wow, yeah.
- This is pretty cool.

RYAN ♪1:
I like the high ceilings.

RYAN ♪2: It adds a lot of space,
- doesn't it?
- It does.

And we even got storage
up here, which is good.

RYAN ♪2:
Oh, that'll come in handy.

What do you think of
this little alcove?

Yeah, I like it. It doesn't look
like it functions well.

I mean, it's either
a seat for one--

Or where do you even put a TV,
for that matter?

I see the washer/dryer,

and I don't know
if they utilize

this corner of the great room
all that great.

I could make this
into a little office

or keep the couch here.

I like that peninsula
in the kitchen.

It looks a little in the way,
to be honest with you.

Where would you eat?

You can always push
this cooktop over

and, you know,
hinge a table on the wall.

I've seen that done a lot.

RYAN ♪2: If it's warm outside,
you can always have a barbecue

and just have
everybody outside.

Yeah, it-- This would
definitely force people outside.

So this is exactly why
one of those points

I've been telling you
I'm concerned about

if you're really understanding
what you're gonna get

and what you're gonna be losing
by having a tiny house.

RYAN ♪1: I don't think
my sister's doing her job.

She's being my sister
all the time.

I need someone who's gonna
listen to what I want

and let me just do my thing
and let me build my own home.

That's all I ask.

So these are--

Oh, that's kind of a nice
little use of space.

Yeah, storage, I like,
stairs, I don't.

There is a lot of room
up here, though.

- This is bigger than I thought.
- It is pretty big, isn't it?

Still a loft, though.
I mean, look at the headroom.

Like, you're still
gonna have to crouch,

you're still gonna have
to crawl out of bed.

And I still don't want to have
to put on clothes,

you know, in three-and-a-half
feet of headroom.

Man, this bathroom's
kind of tight.

Uh, yeah.
Actually, I think

the actual size of
the bathroom is doable,

but, you know,
a 17-inch door,

that might be
a deal-breaker.

I mean, it's shoulder
to shoulder.

RYAN ♪2: The shower's bigger
than you would expect,

given that we're basically
in a trailer.

Yeah, the shower is doable.
I like the little sink.

But the door, I mean,
17-inch door.

- Just too small.
- Custom--
Yeah, it's too small.

How big is that door
to the bedroom?

18 and a half.

I tell you what,
when build construction,

I'd have one door that's
as big as both of those.

It'll work for a guest bed
or an office.

Yeah, what I'm hearing is
you don't want to use it

- for your bed every night.
- Uh, probably not.

Does it feel a little
like a coffin?

Yeah, this is pretty narrow.

And your feet are
almost on the wall.

Yeah. The only good thing is I
can probably stand up in here.

And this is where
I could get dressed.

Ow. Maybe not.

What do you think about
converting it to an office,

make it a little bit
smaller and tighter?

'Cause an office doesn't need
to be that big and you can share

some of that additional space
with the rest of the place.

- And add it to the bathroom?
- Exactly.

I really love how this one
actually looks like a house.

Oh, I love the Victorian look.

RYAN ♪2:
I like the architecture.

You know, and the porch--
those are nice features.

Oh, yeah, the porch.
Definitely like the porch.

The inside, to me,
just wasn't functioning.

It just had tiny doors
and the layout.

I don't see how anyone
can really use that.

The kitchen was nice,

but I can't see it working
for what I need.

RYAN ♪2: And you got to
figure out some alternative
to that sleeping loft.

- There's a lot to think about.
- There is.

It's time for Ryan

to pick a plan for
his new tiny home.

I really think I know which one
you're gonna go with.

Well, maybe you don't know me
as well as you think.

House-hunting just got
a little bit smaller,

with people on the hunt
for tiny homes.

Could you live
in such close quarters?

- Cool!
- Yeah?

I think it's time for you
to make a decision.

Ryan is a photographer

looking to build
his own tiny house

on his parents' property
in Fairplay, Colorado.

His sister,
real estate agent Jody,

has shown him three model homes
she thinks are too small.

But Ryan is ready to pick one.

He saw a place that,
with plans and materials,

would stretch his budget to
a build cost of about $30,000.

RYAN ♪1: I really liked
the outside of it.

It looked like a home.

The living room was huge,
great storage on the outside.

RYAN ♪2: It didn't have
a sink in the bathroom,

but I'm sure
you could add that.

RYAN ♪1: You know, it's too big
of a house for me.

Maybe write down
"same plan, just 20-foot,"

because 192 square feet
is too much for me,

so I need something smaller.

And I think I need
to get rid of that loft.

I mean, that's kind of
a layout I can work with.

You know, for changing, rearranging,

that had the least modifications.

Yep. What about
the rusty metal box?

If Ryan purchased
plans and materials,

this build would come in
under budget at $22,000.

That one, to me,
looked like the easiest build.

I like the modern look
of the inside of it.

The square footage was where
I need to be as a 20-foot.

It was all one level,
which was really nice.

Except that bed-- it just took
up too much of the living area.

I'd have to go in
and reconfigure

pretty much everything.

The bathroom was tiny.

RYAN ♪2: You couldn't even
shower in that shower.

RYAN ♪1: No, I really couldn't.

But I think that one
had the most options

of changing the inside.

You know that
traditional house that we saw,

the one with the little porch?

That one had the most
Victorian feel to me.

Plans and materials
on this one

would run over budget
at $30,000.

RYAN ♪1:
Ultimately, I would like
my master bed on the main floor.

RYAN ♪2: But that back bedroom
drives me nuts.

You're really gonna have
to rearrange that back end.

RYAN ♪1: You know, that is
the only bathroom we saw

that had a little sink in it,
which was nice.

Yeah, that's really nice.

That one was also too big,
though, right?

I'm really thinking I know which
one you're gonna go with.

Oh, yeah?
- Which one's that?
- The big one.

Well, maybe you don't know me
as well as you think.

Oh, really?

Yeah. 'Cause I was really
leaning towards

the one with
the little porch.

You know, the outside
of the house was perfect.

- Yeah.
- If I can just change around

a little arrangement
on the inside,

I think that's gonna be
the best fit to make my home.

Sounds great. I'd love to see
what you come up with.

I originally wanted to build
in under four months.

It took me six months to build.

I just finished my house
about a week ago.

I'm glad I bought the plans.

Even though I didn't
use them all,

I feel that
they were a big help.

Oh, yeah!

You like that?

Queen size was definitely
the way to go.

My initial budget was $25,000,

and I went over budget
about $7,000.

The main reason was that bed.

To get it out of the loft
and on the main floor,

I had to go with a Murphy bed.

I went with a company

that specializes
in that kind of thing.

- Worth every penny.
- Yeah.

I made my office in
the front little window nook.

The storage loft, you know,
right above the door

fits all my camera gear,
fits all my camping gear.

My favorite spot
is the bathroom.

I love the pedestal sink
that I built.

It's out of a piece
of barnwood.

Barely fits between my shower
and my window, but it's perfect.

I have my bathroom sink
in a 20-foot house.

I think my brother's crazy,

but it's not my house.

I'm really impressed, Ryan.

It took a lot of work,
but I got her done.

There were a lot of doubters,
but I can honestly say

that sleeping in something
that I built from my hands,

completely by myself,
best feeling ever.

I've hit my elbow just about
everywhere in that thing.

It's a slow process,
but I'm adapting.

RYAN ♪2: This is like
the ultimate bachelor pad.

Beer is in the fridge,
bed's here,

shower's around the corner.

Couldn't ask for anything more.